


Delicate

by dragonbreath16



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Arranged Marriage, Betrayal, Boyfriends, BoyxBoy, Child Abuse, Depressed Harry, Depressed Harry Potter, Depression, Deviates From Canon, Fanfiction, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kissing, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Mind Control, Miscommunication, No Smut, Panic Attacks, Recovery, Romance, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29045259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonbreath16/pseuds/dragonbreath16
Summary: 8th year DrarryHarry has never had a good home life, but the young savior has never failed at keeping that secret. After the war everything is finally catching up to him and Harry is struggling to grasp at the last of his sanity.Blaming himself for everything and feeling isolated from his loved ones, he struggles to keep going. Nobody seems to notice, let alone care about what's happening, until someone does...Who sees what's really happening and can they help him through while dealing with everything in their own life?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 9
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, Here's my new drarry fic! I'm gonna let you know now that it is a very dark story, dealing with Harry's depression after the war and how Draco struggles to help him through this.
> 
> There will be dark themes throughout the story and at points very graphic scenes involving self inflicted harm and intrusive, dark thoughts.  
> There will also be refernces to child abuse and other dark themes such as that.  
> There is a scene or two that could be viewed as sexual assault later on in the story as well. As i mentioned, not for the squeamish or feint of heart. This is angsty but there will be cute fluffy scenes thrown into the mix too, don't worry.
> 
> I just want to advise right now, that if ANY of the above things may trigger you, please don't read this book, because i have no want to harm people or cause them more pain than they need. 
> 
> If people are interested, i do have a version of this that has the more graphic scenes blocked out with a short summary in their stead that i did for a friend of mine who was triggered by some of the themes, so let me know if you'd be interested in me publishing that.
> 
> Anyway, I'll let you get onto the story now :) Please enjoy and don't be afraid to give me some feedback!

Harry awoke with a start, he scanned his surroundings in a panic, only calming when he felt the steady rocking of the train carriage. He began to remember where he was. Taking in his surroundings he understood that he was on the Hogwarts Express on his way back for his eighth year. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be found, probably on prefect duty, but then, he hadn't heard from them all summer, not one letter, so he wasn't surprised by their absence.

He had only come back to escape the Dursleys and the terror that they inflict upon him. No one knows of his trouble at home, at least not to the extent that it truly is. Not even his best friends. He had his Glamours for that.

His summer had been harder than expected, not just because of the frequent beatings. But because of the loss of hope. He had planned to live with Sirius after his name was cleared, but after the incident in the Department of Mysteries, Harry hadn't let himself hope for much of anything anymore. After the horrors that occurred at the end of their 7th year, Harry hadn't been the same.

A scoff brought him out of his reverie. Harry turned to face the now open door of his compartment to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing there. "You look like death Potter. You shouldn't have come this year, nobody wants to see your depressed face, bringing everyone else down." Harry decided against dignifying this schoolyard taunt with a response and instead turned his head to gaze out the window. Draco, shocked at the lack of reaction walked off. Harry was left pondering over Draco's words. 

After going over them in his head again, Harry decided that, for once, Draco was right. Clearly, no one wanted him there or somebody would have come to talk to him, sent him a letter, anything. But he got nothing, no communication whatsoever. He gazed at his unblemished arms and went to find the nearest bathroom. Entering, he removed the glamour around his arms and face. Harry looked at the mirror to see his sunken in cheekbones and hollow eyes. All he could think of was how disgusting he was and how disappointed Sirius must be. He looked at his arms, at the torn skin, shredded by countless slices from his knife.

He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his blade and proceeded to do what he had all summer. He dragged the sharp metal across his flesh and inhaled sharply. He focused on the pain and the blood that fell the bathroom floor. To Harry, this pain was far more bearable than the pain he suffered through in his mind.

Harry's head started to clear when he heard voices mentioning that they are nearing Hogwarts. Casting a quick scourgify and replacing his bandages and glamour, he stepped out of the bathroom to change into his robes. After arrival, he climbed into the first carriage he can find and heads towards the castle, not looking at the silent third years staring at him in awe.  
Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table and refusing to meet the gaze of his friends as they enter, Harry ate his dinner in silence. He proceeded to his dorm after, immediately falling onto his bed, knowing he wouldn't find the grasp of sleep anytime soon, for fear of the nightmares that take control once he does.

Harry awoke from his restless slumber and removed the silencing charms on his bed. He entered the shower and let the warm water fall on him, breathing deeply. It had been so long since he'd had a warm shower. That privilege was revoked over the summer. Turning off the water he stepped out of the stall and looked at his healthy body, scar free and full.

The glamours made everything so much easier. Harry wasn't sure he'd survive if he had to deal with all the questions. He hated the attention. He pulled on his school robes and left the safety of the dorm.

Heading down towards the great hall, Harry ignored the confused looks he got due to his lack of companions, he hadn't spoken to Ron or Hermione since before summer began.  
He sat down at the Gryffindor table and took a bite of an apple. Forcing it down he took another few bites before abruptly standing and rushing towards the abandoned bathroom occupied by Myrtle.

He opened the door to the nearest stall and began retching and heaving, emptying the small number of contents that were in his stomach into the toilet before him. Angry with himself he stood to leave. 

He walked out the door and was stopped by Malfoy. 'Just my luck' Harry thought bitterly. Draco grabbed him and began to sneer. "Regular bathrooms too common for you Potter?" he scoffed. "Need your own private one, Golden Boy?" Harry hated that name. He hated all of them, 'Golden boy', 'Saviour', Chosen One'. They made his skin crawl.  
Harry chose to ignore the snide remarks and walk off however Malfoy wasn't finished. Grabbing Harry's arm, he asked: "What is it potter, think you're too good for me?". Harry tried to shrug him off, but the movement caused a tear to fall. 

Taken aback Draco's grip on Harry's arm slackened. Harry, hoping to Merlin that Draco didn't see the tear broke free of his grasp and  
walk off.

Draco overcame his shock and sudden guilt and shouted out for Harry to stop. Turning around to glare at him, Harry answered "What?" however his voice came out raspy and sore. The realisation dawned on Harry slowly; he hadn't spoken in almost 3 months.

Draco decided to ignore this and closed the distance between the two. He looked down, nervous before looking into Harry's enchanting emerald eyes.  
Harry glared at him and Draco looked back, but his gaze softened at the tired look in Harry's eyes. "Potter" he started, "I'm sorry"

Harry was shocked, he didn't understand. "I know I've been horrible and an idiot and just an absolute prick for the past 7 years... but I'm truly sorry and I've grown up and I would love to start over and if not be friends then at least be civil," Draco explained. 

Harry was more confused than ever. He didn't know what had changed in the last 30 seconds and was sure it was all just a joke. And he said as much. "Oh piss off Malfoy. I'm not going to fall for that right now" he answered before finally storming back to the common room.

Hermione finally approached him and gave him a hug. Despite the hurt he felt at being ignored, Harry melted into her touch, not realizing just how much he needed it. Much to Harry's dismay, Hermione pulled away and began to explain; "Harry I'm so sorry I didn't owl you over the summer! I should have and I was an absolutely horrid friend and I totally understand if you don't want to speak to me!" Harry didn't have the energy to fight her so he just nodded dejectedly. "No Harry. I truly am. I thought that you needed space, and maybe you did but I should have realized that you still needed someone. So scream and yell and tell me I'm the worst. I deserve it. But just know I love you so much"  
Harry took in everything she said. He agreed with most of it and she probably did deserve to be screamed at, but right now he just needed a friend and here was one seeking forgiveness. "You're right Hermione" he began in his raspy voice he tried to ignore "You have been a crap friend. But you're here now, and I need you to be there for me. So can you do that?" He asked gently.

Hermione let out a squeal. "Oh, Harry of course!" And she hugged him again. She decided to mention his voice some other time. Harry bit back a hiss at Hermione's tight hug. Ignoring the lingering pain in his ribs, he hugged back tightly  
*****

Draco thundered down the stairs towards the Slytherin common room. He growled the password and stomped inside muttering to himself 'stupid', 'what were you thinking' 'you've gone soft', 'idiot Hufflepuff'.

Pansy looked up when the Portrait slammed open to see a fuming Draco Malfoy giving everyone a death glare. She jumped up immediately, leaving potions homework abandoned on the desk beside her and she grabbed Draco's sleeve, dragging her to the corner, away from prying eyes.

"Ok spill" Pansy demanded, seconds after sitting down next to Draco. Knowing she would force it out of him, Draco began to describe his encounter with Potter.  
After hearing Draco's very one-sided recount of the story, Pansy tried to be diplomatic so as not to drive Draco over the edge. So she chose her words carefully; "ok Draco... I understand you're angry, but if you flip the situation..." Draco looked at her disdainfully "then surely you can understand where Potter is coming from." 

Draco began to argue but one look from Pansy shut him up. He started to consider Harry's point of view and reluctantly found himself agreeing with Pansy, that he would've reacted the same.  
Satisfied, Pansy packed up her things and dragged Draco to Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws only 5 minutes late.

Draco decided to take a long walk. He rarely admitted defeat but he had to admit that Pansy had made some very valid points and he really hadn't been thinking very calmly or clearly.

Stupid rationality.

So he decided that in order to calm down and clear his head before approaching Potter again, he would take a nice stroll around the castle. He Made a quick detour to the kitchens to get an apple before heading off again. 

Daydreaming and practising levitating the core of his apple, Draco suddenly stopped dead. He heard crying from somewhere nearby. Deciding it was nothing; or at least none of his business, he continued onward. 

That was until he heard a quiet yelp of pain. Throwing all caution to the wind, he went to investigate.  
Draco discovered that the quiet crying was coming from an abandoned bathroom off the 6th-floor corridor. Pushing the door in gently, Draco was greeted with a familiar mop of dark hair. 

Harry was completely unaware of his newfound companion and continued to drag the silver blade across his wrist. Crying out it pain, Harry pulled his sleeve back down over his wrist and brushed away the fresh tears that stained his face.

He stood up and slowly made his way to the sink. At which point Draco decided to make himself known by releasing a small cough. Harry turned around abruptly and the shock on his face quickly changed to a sneer upon seeing who stood in the doorway.

"Come to gloat have you Malfoy? Come to find the Chosen One and spread rumours of his weakness?"

Draco instantly regretted coming into the room and began to back away slowly, mumbling apologies and avoiding eye contact with Harry, guilt written across his face.  
"Fine then" Harry growled "Tell all your friends, Hell, tell the whole school. Potter's gone soft"  
Harry rolled his eyes, mumbling something about a silencing charm.

Draco finally found his confidence and firmly denied planning on telling anyone about what he saw. "In fact; I didn't see anything," Draco said adamantly.  
"Sure Malfoy" was all Harry could say back. He took a deep breath to try and rid the black spots from his vision.  
Harry attempted to walk past but Draco stopped him, pushing him backwards.

"What do you want me to say? Huh? That I'm going to tell everyone? Because I'm not. You may not believe it, but I've changed, or at least, I'm trying to. But if you can't see that, or refuse to then it's your loss." 

Draco crossed his arms and glared at Harry awaiting a response, only then noticing that his beautiful emerald eyes had lost their usual sparkle; not that he had been looking particularly hard into Ha-Potter's eyes.

"And why should I believe you Malfoy? What proof have you given me, other than act slightly decent for the past what? Day?"  
Draco had no answer and allowed Harry to walk towards the door. When he reached the door, Harry turned back to say something else, however, he turned too quickly and became very dizzy. Stumbling backwards, he saw Draco reach out to catch him before his vision went black.  
*

Seeing Harry stumble, Draco stepped forward to help steady him. Just as he got to him and grabbed his arm, Harry suddenly became a dead weight. He then realised that Harry was unconscious. 

Draco then began to panic. He had managed to catch Harry just before he fell but he was now sitting on the ground with an unconscious boy who hates him, on top of him.  
Well shit.

Draco guessed that since Harry hadn't previously gone to the infirmary, that he didn't really want to go there. So Draco decided to attempt to carry him to the Gryffindor common room and see if they knew what to do.

As he shifted Harry into his arms, he noticed that he was far lighter than he looked. He seemed to be perfectly healthy, yet he was incredibly light.  
Only after Draco stood up with Harry in his arms, did he notice the blood beginning to stain his shirt. Draco panicked and thought he had hurt himself when he fell so he cast a stealth charm on himself and Harry in order to make it to Gryffindor uninterrupted.

He then began to run towards the common room, thankfully on the same floor as the bathroom, they had been in. When he reached the portrait the Fat Lady eyed him suspiciously until she noticed the unmoving boy in Draco's arms and her eyes widened.

Deciding against bursting into the common room unannounced, Draco asked for Granger and Weasley, hoping they'd know what to do.  
Moments later, Granger appeared at the door looking very confused until she saw Harry and screeched like a banshee. Weasley appeared behind her and eyed the blond angrily.

"What the HELL did you do to him"

"What have you done Malfoy"

"What the Bloody Hell happened"

"Oh my Merlin, give him here"

They didn't seem very happy.

Draco tried to explain himself but the remainder of the Golden Trio were unwilling to listen.  
"STOP" Draco shouted

It was enough to halt the yelling and cursing coming from the two.

"This was NOT my fault... I went to apologize to him, and he started to leave and when he turned around too quickly he just collapsed "  
They seemed to take this in, deciding whether or not to believe him. Granger made up her mind first and dragged Draco into the common room and up the stairs to Harry's dorm to lay him on the bed. 

Once he did, Granger turned to him and said "Tell me everything"

And so he did. He told her every last detail, including the blood that seemed to have disappeared from Harry's top.

Deducing that the blood must have been Draco's brain in the panic, Granger thanked Draco and shooed him away, telling him to allow Weasley in "if he decides to behave himself."  
So Draco left, ignoring the stares of the curious Gryffindors, and Hermione calmed down, relaying all that she discovered to Ron.

They decided to let Harry rest and planned to grill him about what happened after he'd gotten some much-needed rest.  
Both got themselves ready for bed and climbed in, welcoming the warm embrace of sleep, trying to forget the happenings of the day.

Harry woke up to a loud bang, followed by a grunt and a few curses. He began to take in his surroundings. He immediately recognised the vermillion curtains on his four-poster and determined that he was in his dormitory.

Though, much to his dismay, he had no recollection as to how he got there.  
He identified the voice as Ron's and began to shift himself to face towards the noise.

Harry groaned involuntarily, due to a pounding in his head, causing Ron to whip around to face him. "Oh Harry, You're up! Sorry if I was too loud, I was trying not to wake you but dropped my book on my foot." Ron explained.

"Don't worry about it mate" Harry responded groggily. His head throbbed but he did his best to ignore it.  
"So what happened lat night?" Ron asked Harry. Harry just furrowed his eyebrows and look very confused, as he had no idea 'what happened last night'. Ron didn't seem to pick up on this and asked again. 

Harry told Ron of his predicament which only seemed to spark his interest in the matter more. Harry was unaware of the reasoning behind Ron's sudden interest in his constant whereabouts and he told him so.  
Ron explained Harry's unusual arrival the previous night and Harry's jaw dropped.

"Malfoy carried me here?! Malfoy?" He screeched "And you didn't think to ask why the hell I was unconscious in his arms?"  
Ron was taken aback by Harry's reaction but understood his embarrassment. He told Harry about Malfoy becoming defensive and that they chose not to push it last night.  
Harry wracked his brain as to what could have possibly occurred last night to warrant being carried to Gryffindor tower by his arch-nemesis.

Then, with a start, he began to remember. Dra- Malfoy walked in on him in Myrtle's bathroom, and instead of sneering and slagging him, he tried to help.  
Harry remembered trying to leave and being grabbed by Malfoy after stumbling before his vision went black, and he couldn't remember anything further. 

Deciding against telling Ron what had truly happened, for fear of being asked what he was doing there in the first place, Harry said he remembered tripping and falling in the corridor. Deeming that he must have been found by Malfoy and he took pity on him.  
Ron seemed to decide that it was valid and dropped the subject, much to Harry's relief.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his matted hair.

Harry stood to head towards the shower. He needed to clear his head.  
*****

Harry walked out of his dorm and headed towards the great hall. 

He was still rather shaky from yesterday's occurrences and so made his way down slowly and carefully.

He arrived at the great hall and made a beeline for the Gryffindor table, hoping to avoid the stares; or at least block them out.  
He sat down next to Hermione and across from Ron. Hermione had her head in a book as usual and didn't even glance in Harry's direction when he sat down.  
Harry resumed his usual routine during breakfast, putting a small bit of food onto his plate.

This made it seem like he was still eating a decent amount to anyone who was looking, and that he had just eaten most of it.  
Harry did this mainly for his own peace of mind, as he knew nobody cared enough to look at his eating habits.  
Harry was, however, unaware of a pair of mercury eyes across the hall, that hadn't left his plate since he sat down, watching him aimlessly move the food around his plate.

After breakfast finished, Hermione stood up and gestured for them to come, stating that they "couldn't be late for transfiguration this early in the term"

She ignored the groans from her two companions and the Golden Trio made their way to Professor McGonnagal's classroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco has some demons to face and Harry's a bisexual disaster. what else is new?

After the class was over, Hermione and Ron went ahead. She was trying to convince Ron to take up Arithmancy and Harry didn't want to be dragged into THAT conversation.  
However, he regretted not staying with them when he felt himself being dragged into a storeroom near the classroom.

Harry whipped out his wand, preparing to hex his captor into next week when he was overcome with a familiar smell.

Confused, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the lighting. He soon realized he had his wand pointed at Malfoy's throat and he stepped back, not lowering his wand.  
Malfoy put his hand up in surrender and explained that he "just wants to talk"

Harry reluctantly lowered his wand but never loosened his grip. He sneered at Malfoy and gestured for him to start explaining.  
And explain he did.

Draco told him everything. (well... almost everything) He told him that he regretted everything he had done in previous years and that he was just following his father's orders and that he never really hated Harry and he was secretly crushed when his friendship was refused that fateful day in the first year.

Harry took all of this in and seemed to ponder this newfound information.  
He told Draco that he'd have to consider what he had been told.

Draco assured him that he could have all the time he needed. He explained that all he wanted was for them to be friends.

Harry nodded slowly and finally began to register their close proximity and his cheeks started to burn as he tried and failed to fight a blush.

Draco didn't miss this new tint to Harry's cheeks and his refusal to make eye contact with him. He internally smirked and bid Harry goodbye.

After Draco walked off Harry tried to identify the tingly feeling he got when he felt Draco's breath against his cheek and when his hand grazed his arm.  
He shook his head and attempted to shake the feeling. Telling himself it was nothing, he followed Draco out of the door and headed towards charms. He realized he had absolutely no excuse for his tardiness and inwardly cursed.

He braced himself and walked through the door. Thankfully other than a stern glare from Hermione and a friendly smile from Professor Flitwick, Harry's entrance was ignored.  
Or so he thought. Harry remained unaware of a certain blond watched him enter and didn't take his eyes off of him throughout the lesson.

Once class finished, Harry left quickly. Having spent the entire class unfocused, thinking only about Draco's words, he needed some fresh air to clear his head.  
Hermione and Ron watched on worriedly as Harry walked quickly out of the class towards the main door.

Hermione and Ron start walking on when they are stopped by a rather unwelcome Slytherin. Pansy Parkinson was blocking their way. Ron glared daggers at here whilst Hermione merely seemed intrigued. she couldn't fathom why the girl had stopped them and allowed her curiosity best her.

Ron went to snap at her to move when Hermione placed a gentle hand on his arm, silently willing him to stand down. He turned to her in confusion. "Yes?" Hermione addressed Pansy. "I need to speak with you Granger" Hermione gestured for her to go on, however, Pansy turned her gaze towards Ron before saying "Alone".

Ron seemed stunned and went to retort when Hermione turned to him with a pleading look. "I'll be ok, you go on," she told him gently. He scoffed and glared scathingly at the two before reluctantly walking off, muttering to himself.

"What is it Parkinson," Hermione asked after Ron had moved on. "It's about Draco and Harry". This got Hermione's attention instantly and she pulled Pansy towards herself before dragging her into the nearest empty classroom. "Spill," she told her.

Pansy firstly told her that Draco had no idea she was there. She then began to tell Hermione everything. She explained about the things Draco had noticed recently. Pansy assumed Ron and herself already knew about Harry being smaller but she told her about Draco noticing he doesn't eat and how light he was when he was carrying him. She also said she recognised this behaviour from when Draco was in 6th year.

Hermione was tearing up by now and barely stifled a sob when Pansy mentions Draco's past experience. "I just thought you should know, I would've wanted to if it was Draco." Hermione nodded slowly and wiped her tears, calming herself.

She thanked Pansy for telling her and sat quietly for a moment. She then looked up and gave Pansy a small smile. "I really appreciate you telling me, do you think we could put the past behind us? We've both changed and matured and I think we could be good friends." Pansy thought for a minute, then finally responded, "I'd like that" she said quietly.  
****

Harry had disappeared all day, skipping the rest of his classes and dinner, making his friends worried. He had taken the day to be by himself and it started off well before the dark thought consumed him and he returned to the abandoned bathroom.  
After leaving the bathroom and returning his glamors, Harry had decided that he should give Draco a chance, the war changed everyone, so maybe he changed too. Plus Harry needed to know what this strange feeling was.

Harry was walking along the corridor when he heard familiar voices approaching. He ducked back into the bathroom to avoid being caught, as he didn't want to have to explain his absence to his friends. He also didn't have the energy to interrogate them as to why they were accompanied by others, Slytherins from what Harry could tell.   
Harry was peeking through the crack in the door as they walked past, spotting a familiar blonde head. The others walked on but this particular boy recognised the bathroom and slipped inside unnoticed.

Harry took a step back from the door and tried to hide but Draco only let out an exasperated sigh and told him to quit hiding. After doing so Harry eyed Draco suspiciously. "How did you know I was in here," Harry asked.

"I'm the one who found you here the first time dumbass." Harry huffed and looked away. Draco cautiously approached. "Where have you been all day?" He asked. Harry just scoffed, not believing the blond cared. Draco explained that the reason the group were all walking around together was that they were looking for him. "Oh" is all Harry can say.  
After a moment of silence, Harry glances up to see mercury eyes watching him. He decides to break the silence. "I've been thinking about it," he starts "and I'm willing to give this friendship thing a try; people change" he shrugged. Draco grins, genuinely, before outstretching his hand for Harry to take. Harry looked at it and lets out a quiet chuckle, thinking back to all those years ago. He takes Draco's hand in his and gives a timid smile.

"Let's go, Granger is freaking out" Harry gives Draco a look, expressing his reluctance. "I'll tell them not to harass you, I swear," Draco says. Harry smiles shyly, "I'll hold you to that"

They leave the bathroom and head towards the library, where Hermione said they were headed next. They find the group just leaving and when spotted, Hermione sprints over to them and grabs Harry, pulling him into a hug. "Oh, Harry we were so worried! Where were you" Ron gave Harry a look that showed only Hermione was all that bothered and it made him smile. Draco grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the side, telling her not to badger Harry about his day, saying he needs space. She looked sceptical but nodded nonetheless. 

Harry shot Draco a grateful look before being dragged back to his common room.  
Pansy joined Draco's side after the left and nudged him not so subtly. He looked down at her to see her usual mischievous smirk back on her face before rolling his eyes and telling her to "shove off". Draco turned the opposite way Harry and his friends went and headed back to his common room.

Harry and Draco had become better friends during the week after the second encounter in the bathroom.

Though on Tuesday morning, Draco was happily talking to Pansy and Blaise, talking about something unimportant. As they were laughing, the owls arrived with the morning post. Draco expected no letter as his mother's letters only arrive on a Friday. However, he was taken aback when an unfamiliar owl dropped a sealed envelope onto his plate.  
Blaise noticed his hesitancy while Pansy remained oblivious, ranting on about some idiotic thing her cousin did at a dinner party.

Draco opened the letter slowly, unsure of what was to come. He took the parchment out, letting the beige envelope fall back to the table.

He read the letter over and then read it again. After confirming it was not his imagination he glanced down at the signature - Lucius Malfoy. His heart rate increased and Draco sat at the table, his eyes fixed on the signature, hoping it was all just some horrible trick.

He stood up suddenly, ignoring his friends' protests and walked out of the hall in a daze, unsure of where he was going until his feet carried him to the astronomy tower, where he curled in on himself and allowed his tears to flow.

When Draco finally returned to the common room, having skipped the day's classes he was met with two bodies grabbing him and pulling him to the nearest couch. At first, they said nothing, waiting for Draco to explain. When nothing was said, Blaise glanced worriedly at Pansy, willing her to begin. 

Pansy opened her mouth to ask what happened, and what in Merlin's name was in that letter. But she was stopped when Draco merely shook his head, looked at his two friends tiredly and stood up to head back to his room.

The next morning Draco came to breakfast and returned to class as usual, and anyone who didn't know him well would have never suspected anything to be wrong. However, those who knew him quickly realised he hadn't spoken since he received the letter.

By Thursday, Pansy had sought out her new Gryffindor friend, looking for advice. She had told her to stop giving him worried looks and offering him help as he already knows she's there. She explained that he's trying to show them he doesn't want to discuss it, and the best thing Blaise and Pansy can do is act as if it never happened and be there for him when he is ready.

By Friday Draco was talking again.

Pansy and Hermione got closer, realising they had lots in common, mainly talking about the difficulties of having two idiotic, egotistical, oblivious best friends. They decided to plan a gathering type of thing for the eighth years.  
Hermione was in charge of invites and Pansy dealt with the booze. They planned on having it in the Room of Requirement.

Word got around that the girls were hosting this thing on Saturday night and Ron and Harry had already been made aware before Hermione even found them. They were highly sceptical but nevertheless agreed. Blaise and Draco were more difficult to convince but Pansy wasn't taking no for an answer so the boys agreed eventually, spurred on by the idea of alcohol.

Saturday arrived and Hermione, Ron and Harry headed to the RoR just before eight, planning to help Pansy and Hermione set up.   
Most of the eighth years came; the golden trio, the silver trio, Dean, Seamus and Neville, The Patil sisters, Theodore Nott, Milicent Bulstrode, 3 Hufflepuffs and 4 Ravenclaws.  
Once everyone had arrived, Pansy took out the firewhiskey and began pouring shots. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves for the first hour before things started to slow and people got bored.

The other eighth years had no idea that the girls had prepared for this, however. So when they called out for a game of truth or dare, everyone thought it was a great idea. Some people left, including Padma with the other Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff.

The group gathered around in a circle whilst Pansy explained the rule. "Ok, so if you choose dare you have to take a shot of Firewhiskey and do it, no backing out no matter what. If you refuse you'll get a sharp pain in your leg that will remain until you carry out the dare. If you choose truth, you place a drop of this on your tongue before answering."

The group looked to the vial Pansy pulled from her pocket. It contained a clear liquid with tiny gold specs in it. "Veriteserum" Hermione announced proudly. Everyone stared at it a moment longer before nodding in agreement.

The game began.

It started innocent enough, asking about crushes, friends finding out things their friend had kept secret. The dares consisted of simple pecks on the cheeks or lips of a random person in the group.

After a while, people began to get bored and started asking more controversial questions and more intense dares, at which point the other Hufflepuff and Neville decided to leave. Seamus was dared to snog Dean much to their enjoyment, Hermione revealed she liked Ron until finally, it came back to Harry. 

Unbeknownst to Harry, Hermione and Pansy shared a subtle nod before Pansy asked him. He chose dare and Pansy's smile broadened. Harry looked nervously around and caught Draco shoot Pansy a venomous look which she happily ignored. "Ok, Harry." She started, her smile never faltering whilst he took the shot. Her eyes gleamed as she told him his dare.

"I dare you... to sit on Draco's lap for the rest of the game"

Harry's jaw dropped and Draco's eyes widened. Blaise barked a laugh whilst the girls giggled to themselves. "Absolutely not-" Harry began before feeling a sharp pain shoot up his leg. He grunted in pain and all eyes landed back on him. Hermione's eyes gleamed as she reminded him of what would occur if he refused the dare.  
Glaring daggers at her, Harry moved slowly towards where Draco was seated on the couch. Draco was seated in such a way that Harry couldn't sit down so Harry sighed loudly waiting for him to move.

After what seemed like a lifetime to everyone in the room, especially Harry, Draco shifted so Harry could sit down. He slowly seated himself of Draco's lap and Draco barely registered it due to his lightness. 

The game continued but Harry couldn't get comfortable. He kept shifting around on Draco's lap until he was harshly told to quit it. He turned to Draco to ask why when he felt something underneath him begin to dig into him. He immediately stopped squirming. Draco did his best to ignore it and just pulled Harry into his chest so he could lean against him and they could both get comfortable. 

Harry gave in and allowed himself against the toned chest supporting him. Draco sighed and his breath on Harry's shoulder made him shiver. Draco smirked, proud of the effect he had on the younger boy but then remembered his own situation and sighed again, only causing Harry to shiver more.

The game went on, the boys were almost forgotten apart from the occasional truth question because, despite the awkwardness, it seemed neither boy planned on moving anytime soon.  
The game was coming to a close and, after Hermione casting a quick tempus and finding it was well past 1 in the morning, the group decided to call it a night. Harry get up quickly and Draco was relieved that his problem was gone. 

The group bid each other good night and headed back to their respective common rooms, Harry's face pink the whole way back as he thought back to the fact that he had almost fallen asleep against Draco.

Harry climbed into his bed having bid his friends goodnight and fell into a restless sleep.

About one week later Harry found himself wandering down the corridors in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep yet again, despite his constant fatigue. Approaching the steps of the astronomy tower, he could hear muttering in the distance belonging to the grumpy caretaker, who never seemed to retire.

Harry shrugged on his invisibility cloak and continued his trek up the stairs. When he reached the top, Harry almost dropped his cloak in surprise. There, sitting by the railing was a familiar blonde Slytherin. Approaching slowly, Harry found the taller boy to be gazing out at the stars in the sky.

Harry shrugged off the cloak and moved to sit beside the blonde, who barely acknowledged his arrival. The two sat like this in silence for what seemed like an hour when it was really only a couple of minutes before the raven-haired boy shattered the tranquillity with a single word.

"Nightmares?" he questions quietly. Draco grunted in affirmation. Harry sighed quietly and shifted to face the young Malfoy. Draco eyed him warily, unsure of his intentions. "I'm going to assume that you, like me, aren't sleeping all that much recently." He didn't wait for a response. 

"However I don't want to burden Ron and Hermione with this and you are already here so..." He paused while the blonde turned to face him. "How about if one of us wakes, we come here and if the other also wakes they can join, we can sit in silence or talk about it or even something random to distract ourselves. What do you say?"

Draco shifted and pondered the offer. Of course, the boy wanted more than to be considered a mutual insomniac, however, currently, he'd take what he could get. He also had the hope that this could help them grow closer and create some trust between the ex rivals. "Okay," he replied quietly, flashing a small but genuine smile to the boy beside him. Harry responded in kind and the two reverted to silence. 

This agreement worked for the two of them for a week and a half only once or twice did one not show, however, the other was unfazed, if not slightly glad their new companion had gotten a full night's rest. Throughout this time the two got to talking. Most nights the silence was filled with idle chatter with no real meaning. However, some nights things became more personal such as questioning the future or just simple questions of what was happening in each other's lives.

The war was not a topic often discussed unless it came up in a nightmare and one of the boys needed to vent. During these times Harry started to realise that Draco was not the boy who made all the wrong choices, but in fact, the boy who never got a choice.

His eyes were very much opened in this time and he was beginning to appreciate the struggles that those who were unwillingly branded faced on the other side of the war. The blonde was also learning to understand the constant pressure his new friend faced with the weight of being the saviour constantly on his shoulders.

Throughout these nights both boys' opinions and perspectives changed. They gradually became closer and started to laugh with each other as one made jokes to lighten the sombre atmosphere. Draco remained conscious of Harry's problem and would occasionally brush off his arm to see if he'd flinch.  
As the weeks progressed the harsh reactions became less common and less extreme.

One such night, as Harry cracked a very corny joke along the lines of the Draco constellation and a fish, Draco let slip one word that shifted the atmosphere suddenly. "Shut up Harry," He said as he rolled his eyes. His eyes then widened drastically when Draco realised what he had just said.  
Harry, however shocked about what had come out of the older boy's mouth, realised that in his head he had begun to see the boy as Draco, not the prissy, pretentious asshole that was the young Malfoy in their previous years. He saw them as different people now.

So, eager to continue their fun conversation, Harry eased Draco's fried nerves with a simple "You know you love my humour Draco" And with one simple sentence, and zero acknowledgement of the change, the two returned to their banter.

On the night of Halloween, Harry knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep. When he was younger Harry was able to distract himself from the thoughts of his parents' deaths. Now, however, with the grief of those lost during the war weighing down on him, Halloween was much harder to face.

On the night in question, Harry went straight to the astronomy tower, silently desperate that he would be joined by Draco. Unbeknownst to him, Draco had the same thought. Thinking about how Harry would be struggling on this day, he began his trek to the astronomy tower.

That was where Draco found the brunette, silent tears streaming down his face as his shoulders shook minutely. Draco sat down beside him and hesitantly wrapped an arm around the distraught boy he had come to call his friend.

Harry immediately leaned into Draco's embrace, surprisingly unembarrassed by the action due to each of them seeing the other break down before. They remained like this in silence for the entire night, with the blonde gently carding his fingers through the boy's raven curls.

Draco continued to console him, whispering quiet words of affirmation to the sobbing boy, placing the occasional gentle kiss to the crown of his head.   
Harry couldn't have asked for someone so understanding to be with him on that night. Draco forgot about his troubles momentarily, simply enjoying the peaceful atmosphere surrounding the two after Harry calmed down.

Another week passed after Halloween night and the boys continued to meet up regularly, becoming closer by the day. The night that Draco comforted Harry, it seemed the other parts of the golden trio forgot Harry's troubles and decided to become a couple, though Harry didn't believe it would last. To him, it seemed forced.

They seemed happy however and Harry wasn't going to ruin that by voicing his opinion. Pansy and Hermione had planned another gathering for that Saturday and everyone seemed excited to attend. It seemed the seventh and eighth years had begun to enjoy and anticipate the enjoyable nights. They were an escape for some of the troubled teens.  
The teens all arrived at the come and go room and immediately took their places in the circle. If anyone noticed Harry and Draco sitting beside each other, nothing was said. Though a few sly glances and knowing looks were exchanged, the two oblivious boys remained unaware, sitting seemingly in their own world together, deep in conversation.  
To many, this was a shock because they hadn't really been seen together outside the gatherings. One hadn't been held in a few weeks, so their sudden closeness seemed to surprise many of their fellow classmates, who hadn't witnessed their nightly escapades (lmao that sounds so sexual) 

"Ok, so what are we playing tonight?" Pansy questioned the group. "Paranoia" A seventh year yelled loudly, he was met with either groans or looks of confusion. "Um... ok, would you like to explain that?" Pansy questioned hesitantly.

She was right to be hesitant.

Paranoia was explained as follows: people go around to different individuals and ask a question, for example, who's the hottest in the circle. These questions are whispered and only heard by the answerer. The name of the person they pick is then called out. This person then has the chance to discover what the question was by picking a number out of 10 at the same time as the answerer. If they both pick the same number then the question is revealed. The question otherwise remains a secret. Veritiserum must be used. Due to a charm, the question cannot be revealed by either person unless the number is guessed correctly.

While many were hesitant, it was agreed that the group would play a few rounds. The first couple of questions revealed, not that many were, were quite tame. Most involved crushes or most likely to end up marrying a muggle or living as one. As some of the more nervous members left, the game became more intense. 

Harry and Draco had pretty much been left alone, silently observing and occasionally making small remarks to make the other laugh. Ginny had seen this and was frustrated that when she called out Harry's name as an answer he didn't even seem to register it had happened, and so lost his opportunity to discover the question about him. 

At this point Ginny had a 'genius' idea and strolled up to Harry confidently, catching him by surprise as he was mid-laugh from another sly remark the Slytherin beside him had made about the Ravenclaw Zacharias Smith.

Ginny proceeded to lower herself to Harry's ear in a way she seemed to believe was 'seductive', unaware of the eye contact between a certain raven and blonde boy and a barely suppressed laugh on the tip of their lips. With a small smirk, Ginny asked a question she was sure she knew the answer to.

"Who do you think is the hottest in the circle"

Ginny watched with glee as a bright pink dusted itself across Harry's cheeks and he broke eye contact with the Slytherin to look at Ginny with wide eyes. Ginny was unaware that the pink was not for her.  
With a grin, Ginny returned to her spot across the circle and awaited Harry's answer. Harry simply mumbled something unheard by the group before he was reprimanded by everyone and forced to speak clearly.

He cleared his throat and uttered one name that caught the attention of the entire group and caused a certain female ginger to drop her jaw in shock, any trace of smugness vanished without a trace from her face.

"Draco"

This answer shocked everyone else for two reasons. The first was that Harry said Draco rather than Malfoy, because, despite their new cordial attitudes, nobody realised they were truly friends. But what really shocked people was that it wasn't declared with an air of hatred or even smugness.  
The great Harry Potter was blushing as he said the name.

Harry's face burned a bright red and he turned to face the older boy. Draco tilted his head in question, quietly observing Harry before nodding and asking Harry if he was ready. Harry nodded hesitantly and the boys stated their numbers.

"6"

"5"

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief that only intrigued the group further, but all seemed to be forgotten rather quickly as the game continued.  
Draco however, noticed Harry's change in attitude when they continued to converse. Sensing the younger boy's discomfort, Draco banished his curiosity and attempted to return the comfortable atmosphere the two had become accustomed to over the past few weeks.

He seemed to be successful when he looked down around an hour later to find the young hero asleep on Draco's arm.

The two remained after everyone else had long departed, falling asleep on each other and waking with gentle smiles the next morning before heading to their respective common rooms and facing the questions of their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's such a disaster, but we love him anyway for some reason.   
> Thank you all so much for the support on the first chapter, I loved reading the comments and there were so many kudos, it was so unexpected so thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny corners Harry and shit gets real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major TW for this chapter, a lot of internalised homophobia, self-hate and self-harm.

The morning after the Paranoia game Harry was bombarded with questions from his friends who wanted to know about his sudden closeness with Malfoy and what the question was.

The latter query was asked to Ginevra Weasley also, but of course, due to the charm on the game, she was unable to reveal her question to anyone. Much to Harry's relief.  
After assuring Ron and Hermione that the question was unimportant and that he and Draco had simply been talking a bit more, he was left alone for the most time. Albeit reluctantly.

Ginny had been fretting over the events of the previous night for the entire time she'd been awake, and whilst asleep. She just couldn't understand what had possessed Harry to say that. She came to the conclusion that one of two things had occurred.

One option was that due to Harry's aversion to the Imperius curse, he is also able to throw the effects of Veritiserum and had simple said Malfoy's name as a joke or to prevent the embarrassment of saying Ginny's name when Ginny knew the question.

The other option was that she had simply phrased the question wrong. She should have asked who the most beautiful in the room was, or even ask who his crush was. There was no way he could have answered with Malfoy to those questions. (Sure Ginevra, sure)

Of course, she was sure the first option was the answer and so decided to confront Harry to congratulate him on his incredible force of will to be able to withstand the effects of Veritiserum.

"Harry!" she called, dragging him away from his friends to talk with him privately. Of course, the most wonderfully oblivious Harry was unaware of what was occurring and missed the wink Ron sent his way. "Harry, oh my goodness, I'm so impressed with you! Honestly, I've never heard of someone being able to do it! Why didn't you tell us?!" Ginny began excitedly.

Harry looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. "Um, sorry what?" Harry questioned cluelessly. Ginny simply sighed exasperatedly and looked at harry properly. "I wanted to congratulate you on being able to withstand the effects of Veritiserum!"

Ginny was so proud of her astuteness, sure that her, frankly absured, idea was correct. She was giddy with glee, ready to have the boy of her dreams falling at her feet and even more smitten with the boy after seeing his skill in throwing off such a potion as veritiserum. She had never heard of anyone else having that skill. Although seeing as the Boy Savior had been capable of throwing off the imperius curse, she supposed she shouldn't have been too shocked.

Ginny grinned expectantly up at the boy, waiting for him to smile bashfully and shrug off his skill, as he was known to do. She was anticipating his bright red flush and shyly deny it, prepared to sing his praises and ensure he knew of how wonderful he was.

Now Harry was very confused and had absolutely no idea how to respond to that so he just smiled hesitantly and asked as politely as possible, what in Merlin's name Ginny was going on about. Ginny, of course, explained what she believed to be true about Harry faking by saying Draco's name.

Harry, terrified of the reasoning behind saying Draco's name in the first place made a split-second decision to use this to his advantage. I mean really! Why had he said Draco? Surely his brain was just overtired. Yes. That was it. No need to bring further ttention to the matter. So, smiling nervously, he played right up into the convenient story Ginny had concocted for him.

"Um, yeah, I can't fully throw it, I think Dra- Malfoy is decent looking so I was able to just, um kind of, um shift it? I guess?" Harry explained slowly, hoping it made sense.

Ginny agreed immediately, much to Harry's relief and just started talking about how impressive that was and how he was just so impressive and wonderful, already making Harry feel guilty and regret his lie.

Harry was so deep in thought he hadn't noticed the compromising position Ginny had backed him into, with his back against the wall and Ginny unnecessarily close to him. His eyes widened comically as he processed the situation and attempted to prevent what Ginny so clearly wanted.

Ginny looked down at her feet, unaware to the silent panic she had just subjected the raven to, before she looking up and quickly grabbing Harry around the neck. She pulled his lips down to meet hers in a slow kiss that she seemed to enjoy immensely, her closed eyes keeping her blissfully ignorant to the emerald green eyes that had just widened even further in panic.

As the kiss ended, Ginny returned her gaze to her shoes quickly. She quickly went onto her tippy toes to kiss the cheek of the boy still frozen in shock and confusion before she bolted from the room.

After sliding down the wall to sit on his heels, Harry remained on the ground of the abandoned classroom for what felt like an eternity. The whole time all he could think was 'why didn't I feel anything' 'why didn't I like that' and mostly 'why did I want her to be a guy'.

Harry was horrified with himself. He couldn't possibly be... gay. All he had ever heard about two men being together was his Uncle being horrified and calling them dirty and disgusting. Surely that's what it was, wrong, a freak of nature, a mistake.

All of these thoughts seemed to weigh heavily on the confused boy as he rose from his place on the ground slowly, almost on autopilot, his body seeming to know where he had to go.

That was where he found himself 6 minutes later, on the floor of the abandoned bathroom sobbing into his hands. He pulled his wand out and removed his glamours. With a sick noise between a laugh and a sob, Harry gazed at the old marks marring his skin, discovering that, thanks to Draco he hadn't cut in over 2 weeks. He laughed bitterly, guess that was for nothing.

With a sigh, he began the familiar action, enjoying watching the sharp red lines appear on his marred skin. he continued for a while, adding almost dozen or so before the pain wasn't strong enough. So he placed his arms below the cool tap water, enjoying the painful sting it caused and the bitter taste of tears in his mouth, believing that he deserved this pain for his awful thoughts. This was what he needed. 

With a resigned sigh, Harry slumped against the wall with a final sob.

That was where a frantic Draco found him an hour later, unmoved and soaked in blood and tears.

******************

Draco hadn't seen Harry all morning. He had originally classed his absence as tiredness from the previous night. Maybe even embarrassment? However when the brunette was absent from their first class and his friends seemed confused, Draco knew there was more to the story.

With this in mind, Draco excused himself from class and went to seek out his new friend. When he couldn't find him in the astronomy tower and the Fat Lady claimed he hadn't re-entered the common room, Draco decided that the abandoned bathroom where it all began was his safest bet.

He approached the door cautiously, conscious of the fact that Harry was likely upset and Draco didn't want to spook him further.

The blond pushed the door open carefully but was only met with an ominous silence. Frustrated with himself that he had yet to find the raven, he entered the bathroom.  
His eyes were immediately drawn to the slumped figure in the corner as he let out an anguished cry of horror and shock.

"Harry!" Draco yelled out frantically.

The blonde threw himself to the floor beside the bleeding figure and immediately attempted to staunch the bleeding that seemed endless. Letting out a choked sob, Draco removed his wand and began to recite every healing spell in his mind.

The bleeding seemed to at least slow so Draco decided to leave Harry's side for a moment in order to get some paper towels.

Draco began to clean the fresh wounds to the best of his abilities whilst attempting to calm his racing heart. Draco's heart was breaking because Harry had been doing so well.  
His scars had remained untouched for many weeks, and other than one small relapse, Harry had avoided any more by seeking out the comfort of the blonde.

Whatever triggered this must have been massive. 

After controlling his breathing, Draco manoeuvred himself to be beside Harry in order to move him into his lap. Harry's unconscious body slumped against Draco's lean chest as the older boy cradled the fragile raven's upper body close.

Draco closed his eyes and breathed deeply before returning his attention to the now shivering boy on his lap.

"Harry, come on Harry, wake up, please" Draco prompted gently. At the lack of reaction, Draco became slightly more worried. After no reaction still, he became slightly frantic.  
"Harry please, you've got to wake up for me! Harry!"

Draco was aware that he should bring Harry to Madame Pomfrey and intended to do so soon if Harry remained unresponsive, but he had only gained Harry's trust recently and wasn't quite ready to give it up so soon.

Just as Draco decided Harry's life was far more urgent and began to stand, the pale and sickly looking boy finally responded.

It was a simple groan of pain, but enough for Draco to release a relieved yell of happiness before returning his attention to the boy who was finally coming to on his lap.  
Emerald eyes finally opened and were greeted by soft mercury eyes staring back, swirling with worry and unshed tears. "Draco?" Harry's voice came, quiet, hesitant.

"Yes, it's me darling" was the equally quiet response. The pet name fell unplanned from Draco's lips, but neither boy seemed to notice at the time. "What happened?" Harry asked softly, subconsciously burrowing into Draco's warmth, that seemed to be radiating in the cold bathroom.

"I found you here Harry, bleeding out and unconscious after noticing your absence from class..." Draco disclosed, almost reluctantly, he didn't want to spook the fragile boy too much and have the walls he had just broken down reform. 

"Oh" came Harry's timid response.

Everything seemed to come back to Harry at that moment, though he was too weak to move from the position he was in. The fact that he was comfortable, not only that but enjoying his placement on the older boy's lap probably wasn't helping his case

"Harry" Draco began "Please tell me what's wrong, I want to help but I can't if you don't tell me what's going on. You had been doing so well, did something happen? Did I do something?" Draco questioned quietly, nervously.

Harry was already shaking his head when Draco began to blame himself, easing the blondes nerves somewhat.  
"Then what Harry? Please let me help you." Draco begged Harry desperately.

Draco cradled Harry's head to his chest gently, one hand wrapped securely around his waist and the other softly stroking his curly brunette locks out of his face.  
"I-" Harry choked out, before closing his eyes in shame and embarrassment. He wasn't meant to be like this. He was clearly just confused, or maybe defective. With this thought, afresh steam of tears began.

"Shh sh, it's ok, you're ok, I'm here" Draco soothed the crying boy calmly.

"It's ok darling, take your time, I'm here." There that name was again. It seemed so natural to the boys that it again went unacknowledged.

It seemed all of Harry's thought were against him, telling his he was broken, he had to keep this newfound information to himself, this wasn't how regular friends behaved. The most dominating thought told him that if he confessed whilst sitting on the blonde's lap, he would be disgusted and remove Harry from anywhere near him.

Despite the irrationality of almost all of his thoughts, the blood loss was not aiding Harry's thought process. 

Harry had a decision to make. He could either drown himself in fears and what if's. Or he could take a risk and tell Draco everything, potentially losing the one person who seems to understand everything about him and new closest friend, which would only shatter the boy more.

With these things in mind, Harry made his decision.

Harry took a deep breath as he attempted to regulate his breathing. His heart was racing in anticipation of what he was about to say.

He was aware that now was probably not the best time to confide in the blond boy, with Harry bleeding and shivering on his lap, but he needed to get this off his chest before he chickened out.

Draco seemed to sense that harry needed a few moments to gather himself and just kept carding his fingers through the raven's dark hair, occasionally pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead or crown in comfort. That particular action caused the smaller boy to sigh in content and snuggle further into the young Malfoy as he gathered his Gryffindor courage.

"I-" Harry attempted but cut himself off as he choked another sob. Draco only held him closer, hushing him and trying to calm him again.

Harry took a minute to just think about the implications of what he was about to reveal and knew he needed to decide how much he was intending on revealing to his friend.  
The raven knew that he needed to tell Draco about the events leading to this particular breakdown but he wasn't sure if he was going to reveal his newly discovered feelings for the blond that he hadn't really put much thought into yet. So the question was, how far was he willing to open up?

While Harry was waging this internal battle, his companion was gently beginning to heal the fresh wounds to keep the boy from bleeding out on his lap. Harry was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn't even noticed the blonde's work, which they were both grateful for as it was pretty clear that Harry was not going to be comfortable with Draco being that close to his fresh cuts.

As Harry's inner turmoil came to an end, and Draco cleaned up the last of the younger's freshly healed cuts, they both made eye contact again and Harry sucked in a breath of anticipation.

Having come to his decision Harry began to tell the older boy what had occurred earlier with the female Weasley. 

"I- Uhm I was walking to the Great Hall this morning, w-with Ron and 'Mione when, uhm G-Ginny asked to talk to to me, so I went with her into this uh classroom and-" Harry cut himself off, frustrated with his stuttering. Draco simply hummed, confirming he was listening as he waited for the raven to continue.

"S-so she started talking to me a-and congratulating me on something. I was r-really confused and then she explained that s-she thought I was able to throw the effect of Ve-Veriteserum because I couldn't possibly have answered with you to the question of who's the hottest in the room" harry rambled, unaware of the effect the last sentence had on the boy below him due to being stuck in his own head. 

As Harry continued his story Draco tried desperately to focus on the events being described and not his increased heart rate at the thought of the boy curled up on his lap thinking he was hot.

"And I um went along with it for whatever reason to try to get the conversation to end or whatever" The raven attempted to justify his actions as he went on, "B-but then she" He choked on a sob.

"She kind of uhm cornered me I guess? I don't really know because I wasn't r-really paying that much attention" A hiccup interrupted his words as he tried to continue.

"She kissed me! and I know, I know that is should've enjoyed a pretty girl kissing me but I just didn't; like at all. But of course, she didn't notice this and then she disappeared out the door leaving me a confused blubbering mess!" Har

ry continued to babble as the blond boy tried to ignore the tightening in his chest at the mention of the Weaselette kissing Harry and focus on the shaking boy in his arms.  
"But the whole time all I was thinking was that I wanted it to be a boy kissing me, which makes no sense, obviously. And all I've ever been taught was two boys liking each other was wrong and a freak of nature so it was just even more ways for me to be f*cked up and I couldn't handle it." 

Harry heaved a big breath when he finished, chickening out of telling the boy beside him of his brewing feelings. 

Draco inhaled deeply, taking a moment and attempting to filter the amount of information he just received from the boy's story. 

A suddenly panic stricken Harry mistook his silence as disgust and immediately started his nervous babble again, claiming he understood if the bond was disgusted with him and wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

The boy in question quickly silenced him and tugged him closer. "Harry I would never think differently of you because of your interest in the same sex. Not only would that be stupid, but it would also be hypocritical because I myself am gay so" Draco attempted to explain without letting his voice shake.

Draco's confession sparked hope in harry for two reasons but he decided to address the easier one first. "M-my uncle always said that the gays were diseased and wrong though"  
The young Malfoy's eyes widened at this newfound information and he made a mental note to ask about these relatives again at a later date as he explained to the confused boy on his lap that he was wrong and being gay and liking the same sex was totally normal and nothing to be ashamed of as Harry gazed up at him with eyes full of wonder.

He smiled down at him gently and continued his combing of the smaller boy's hair with his fingers, watching in amusement as the emerald eyes slowly closed in sleepiness.

Before he could fall asleep Harry jerked himself up, making the boy below him startle slightly at the sudden movement. "S-so you like boys too?" Harry questioned the blond timidly.

Draco gave a soft nod and watched as a small smile crossed the raven's lips at the new information. "And, do you uhm, do you like anyone?" At the blonde's small nod Harry couldn't keep his shoulders from dropping slightly, already knowing he had no chance against this person the boy he fancied had taken an interest in.

Draco watched with amusement dancing in his eyes as Harry broke eye contact at the news. The pale boy took his hand from across the smaller boy's lap to take the boy's chin and turn it back towards himself.

Harry looked into Draco's eyes in surprise at the action. However, his eyes widened comically at the whispered words that tumbled from the blonde's lips;

"Can I kiss you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH Cliffhanger!! Hope you guys liked this chapter, I know it was sad but there was a bit of fluff thrown in there to lessen the blow!  
> Don't be afraid to leave some feedback in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out Harry's response to Draco's question

Harry sputtered. 'I- I, uhm, yeah? S-sure" Harry continued to stare dumbfoundedly at Draco as the blond watched with an amused smirk as he stumbled over his words. 

As Draco looked at him with a soft smile, Harry retreated into his mind. What was he doing? He couldn't possibly be gay. He couldn't let everything the Uncle Vernon had said about him be true. He couldn't let the words that absolutely destroyed him, become even more effective as they had true to who Harry was.

As the brunette freaked out in his own mind he remained oblivious to the panicking blonde who's lap he was currently sitting on. Harry's existential crisis required it's own world where the poor young Malfoy was not in the picture. 

Draco was confused. Harry had seemed happy!... if a little nervous when Draco had asked to kiss him, and Harry had consented! So why was the younger boy sitting on his lap, looking faraway and seeming traumatised.

Meanwhile, Harry continued to panic. This was wrong. Boys aren't meant to be with boys. That's not the way this is supposed to work! Harry should like Ginny, not Draco. Cho, not Cedric. (Though Harry will remain in denial about his crush on Cedric forever.) Harry was a boy. The rules of society dictate; Harry should marry a beautiful young woman, settle down and have a generation of Potter babies to carry on the line of the wizarding worlds' saviour. It's not like Harry could ever do anything without it being plastered on the front page of the Prophet anymore.

Before Harry could panic further and question his decisions any more, Draco placed his hands on Harry's cheeks and leaned down to close the gap between their lips.  
Despite all his panicking, all Harry could think as their lips met and moved in sync, was that nothing at all felt wrong about this.

Draco tried to pull back but Harry only tugged him closer, pushing his fingers into the white blonde locks and deepening the kiss. Harry sighed in bliss as his lips moved against the blond's; he could do this forever.

Harry decided to be bold and licked into Draco's mouth, mapping it out before the blond took dominance. Draco groaned as he returned the kiss with fervour before the two pulled away to catch their breath.

As Draco panted breathlessly, Harry began to giggle quietly. Draco was sure that was not the appropriate reaction to have after kissing someone so he began to worry a little. Harry then eased his mind by simply resting his forehead against the crook of his neck, breathing deeply to calm himself down for his fit of laughter. 

Draco grabbed hold of the smaller boy and tugged him to his chest. The two remained like that for some time, heads rested against each other, breathing deeply and basking in each other's presence.

After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence Draco asked Harry quietly, "Are you feeling any better, do you think?" The uncertainty in his voice was clear and it made Harry smile fondly into his neck. Harry didn't verbally respond to the question, merely snuggling closer into the warmth provided by the blonde.

Draco didn't seem to need a verbal response however, the action alone calming his nerves and bringing a soft smile to his face. Draco continued to hold the smaller boy as he relaxed into the embrace.

Just as Draco was sure Harry had fallen asleep, he heard the brunette utter a small 'Thank you Draco' which brought a fond grin to the face of the blond. When the younger boy was truly asleep Draco cast a disillusionment charm over the two of them before heading out of the bathroom with the bloody brunette in his arms.

Draco thanked Merlin and Snape that he remembered to use the Spell "Vulnera sanetur" on Harry's cuts when he arrived, preventing the skinny boy from bleeding out his arms.   
The Malfoy Heir carried the Potter Heir all the way up to the room of requirement, where he asked the room to provide a comfortable space to relax and sleep in. He was quickly provided with a cosy room with two couches and a four-poster double bed. He set Harry on the bed, removing his shoes before he did the same to himself and joined him on it.

While Harry remained in his deep slumber, Draco curled himself protectively over him, resting his chin on the dark locks that never seem to tame. He noted that as something he needed to remedy as he pushed his fingers through them gently.

Draco was well aware that he and Harry had a long way to go and that the boy was hurting, but after everything that happened between the two of them, Draco knew he could never leave Harry to go through it alone. He was determined to help the Raven in his arms, who had already begun to tremble with the beginnings of a nightmare. 

Draco turned his gaze back down to the too-small boy, continuing to comb his hands through the knotted locks. He began to hum, holding Harry's head to his chest and continued to hum the soft lullaby his mother would sing to him as a child, hoping the vibrations would soothe the smaller boy.

Within a few moments, Harry had settled again, curling further into the warmth surrounding him. 

Draco gave his sleeping form a soft smile before he followed him into the clutches of sleep.

Draco woke up to the feel of soft kisses being pressed into his neck.

It took him a moment to gain his bearings but when he groggily opened his mercury eyes to find a certain raven smiling up at him happily, he began to grin.

He relished in the tranquillity of the room. The two boys seemingly lost in their own world, the only people present were each other, and that was more than enough. They completed each other in ways neither knew was possible and it would never cease to amaze them, the comfort that seemed so effortless between them, radiating in their personal space. 

The day began to come back to him and he sobered slightly, taking Harry's arms in his own and gently brushing a hand over the bumps, ensuring they were healing properly.  
Draco was aware of how difficult it was for Harry to stop, he knew doing that made him feel in control, kept his focus on one place and made him feel secure and present among many other things, so he was very proud that Harry had managed to take a break from it for so long.

"Hi,"Harry whispered quietly, smiling happily at the blond, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Hi," Draco returned with a grin, brushing Harry's messy hair from his face so he could see the boy's beautiful emerald eyes.

Harry smiled shyly, burrowing into the warmth the blond was emitting. Draco chuckled and wrapped his arms around the raven again, before casting a tempus to find the time.

He sighed when he saw they had missed the day's classes. He started to rouse the boy in his arms who he could feel was falling back to sleep in his arms. "C'mon Harry, if we get up now we can make it to dinner." Harry merely grumbled not wanted to move from their hidden paradise, afraid whatever was going on between them would shatter as soon as they left due to its newness and fragility.

After a few moments longer, Draco finally roused Harry and convinced him to get up. He smiled gently at the grumbling Raven.

The two cast a quick scourgify on their clothing before heading to the door hand in hand.

Before they left Draco pulled Harry in for one last hug and kissed the crown of his head gently, smiling when the smaller boy melted into his embrace, relishing in the safety Draco provided him.

The two finally broke apart, sharing small smiles before the left the safety of the Room of Requirement. They made their way down to the Great Hall in comfortable silence.

Just before they entered Draco grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him behind a pillar, ignoring the raven's panicked squeal.

Which was totally manly by the way.

Draco merely kissed him again, still softly but a little more possessively, threading his fingers through the younger boy's hair and relishing in the shocked whimper he emitted.  
Draco pulled back, grinning giddily at the embarrassed flush that appeared on Harry's face when he realized that that sound had come from his mouth.

His grin turning soft, Draco stroked Harry's cheek softly, kissing him chastely one more time.

"I just wanted you to know I'm here Harry, I'm not going anywhere and if you need me at all, I'll be by your side in a heartbeat, okay?" Draco explained to the boy before him.

Harry was merely gazing at him in awe, unused to having someone care so deeply for him as to go to such lengths to ensure his comfort and happiness. With teary eyes Harry nodded before throwing himself into Draco's arms, burrowing into the strong chest as the boy holding him chuckled.

Pulling back, Draco kissed Harry's forehead before directing him towards the doors of the great hall. 

They had to face their friends at some point.

Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Harry was immediately bombarded with questions from Hermione, confused about his absence from classes and frustrated with his vague responses.

"I was just drained 'Mione, I needed to sleep a bit and get my bearings back, I'm feeling much more refreshed now, promise," Harry told the borderline hysterical brunette.  
"But Ron said you weren't in the dorms at lunch!" Hermione continued, much to Harry's chagrin.

"I was in the Room of Requirement okay? I didn't think you try to stalk me to find my whereabouts." Hermione merely huffed.

As she opened her mouth again and Harry readied himself for another onslaught of irrelevant questioning, the girl was cut off by their other friend's exasperated sigh.

"Lay off him 'Mione. He was tired and wanted to sleep, you can't really fault him for that, can you?" Ron questioned with a pointed look towards the girl that Harry didn't understand.

This seemed to finally get Hermione to cave as she sighed and agreed reluctantly. Harry shot Ron a grateful look and Harry started to pile a small amount of food onto his plate.

Across the room, his blond companion was fairing a little better, having gotten his friends off his case pretty quickly initially. They seemed to sense his reluctance to tell them anything and refrained from pushing him, despite how intrigued they were.

He watched as Harry was interrogated by his frizzy-haired friend, sighing quietly in relief when she finally seemed to lay off thanks to the Weasel.

He did however glare angrily at the back of Harry's head when he saw how little the boy was eating.

Seemingly sensing the blond's gaze, Harry turned in his chair slightly to catch Draco's eye, only to have the blond gesture pointedly towards his plate.

Harry blushed and put a small bit more on his plate.

Draco sighed, he supposed that would do for now. 

Baby steps.

The calm that seemed to fall over the two groups was shattered pretty quickly when Ginny entered the room, her long red hair flowing like liquid copper down her back.  
It made Draco sick.

She smiled happily as she spotted Harry, heading towards where he was seated quickly. Draco tensed slightly, noticing the ginger's line of sight and narrowed his eyes, much to his friend's suspicions.

Pansy watched the body language of her friend go from upset, to relaxed and back to tensed apprehension within the span of about 4 minutes, and was beyond intrigued to identify the cause of such a range of emotions on her usually poker-faced best friend.

Draco almost growled when Ginny scooted closer to Harry, causing Harry to tense, in obvious distress. Pansy watched in confusion as Draco's eyes narrowed on the Gryffindor table, having been under the impression that the animosity between the two was no longer present.

Ginny scooted in further to Harry's side, leaning against him slightly, before reaching up and kissing his cheek. The horrified and confused Raven only tensed further before he shuffled a little away from her, only to have the girl follow him, clearly not one to take a hint.

Draco continued to glare at the girl who was upsetting his Raven, who had only just calmed down before they entered.

Harry sat uncomfortably, doing anything in his power to get away from the clingy girl beside him as subtly as possible. Hermione watched on with a narrowed gaze, immediately suspicious once again of Harry's behaviour towards the youngest Weasley, who didn't seem to notice anything wrong.

Harry caught Hermione's eye and grimaced at the calculating look there, immediately breaking the contact and looking to the side. He turned his body slightly to get further from the brunette's piercing glare and the presence of the ginger beside him.

As his body shifted further away, he also turned his head, succeeding in catching the eyes of a very concerned blond sitting at a table across the Hall who had watched the scene play out. Withholding a whimper Harry stood suddenly and walked out of the room hoping the blond got the message to follow him.

Of course, Draco understood immediately what Harry wanted from him as he caught the pained expression on his face before he left the room, so he immediately stood to follow, ignoring Pansy's confused questioned and Granger's curious gaze.

Almost certain of where Harry had gone to, Draco began the trek to the astronomy tower, hoping his suspicions were correct. As he walked up the last stairs he heard hushed muttering, doubting himself for a minute until he turned the corner and caught sight of the younger boy sitting at the edge, rambling to himself quietly. Draco resumed his regular spot to the left of the boy, curling his arm around his shoulder and pulling him to his chest.

As Harry's form melted into the comfort the blond's embrace provided, his trembling stopped and he calmed down, stopping his muttering to enjoy the safety he felt in the hold he'd become used to. Draco smiled when he felt the younger boy relaxing, happy to know he was part of the boy's safe space.

Draco kissed the crown of Harry's head before shaking him a little bit, encouraging him to meet his soft mercury eyes. His heart broke when he saw the unshed tears floating in the eyes of the boy before him, almost crying himself as the boy released a sob and burrowed into his chest.

"What's wrong with me," the boy asked brokenly, shattering Draco's heart further as he rushed to reassure him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him and that he was completely normal and perfect. (Well I mean, as normal as a wizard can be.)

"Harry, Ginny needs to take a hint, I swear she is so lucky I haven't decked her in the face yet. I don't care if she's a girl, she can't be doing this, forcing herself on you without your consent! It's not right!" Harry looked up at the blond with glassy eyes, before abruptly leaning in and pressing their lips together hard. Draco was shocked for a moment by the sudden kiss but reciprocated quickly, relishing in the feel of the raven's lips against his own.

The two continued to kiss gently for a few moments before breaking apart, foreheads resting against each other's, eyes closed. When Harry sat back he looked into Draco's eyes and grinned giddily, pressing another quick chaste kiss against the blonde's lips before letting his head fall onto the other's shoulder.

Draco merely held him closer and pressed his lips to the crown of Harry's head one more time before letting the exhausted boy rest against him. Draco was concerned about Harry's low energy levels, seeing as the two were sleeping for most of the day, however, he was reminded of how skinny the younger boy was as he rubbed his back, almost able to feel his ribs through his clothing. 

After allowing Harry to nap against him for another 20 or so minutes, Draco pulled him away, not wanting him to get a crick in his neck from sleeping too long in such an uncomfortable position. Harry smiled sleepily up at him when he rubbed his thumb against the boy's cheek. 

"I know you don't want to, but it might be time to face your friends' questions about today," Draco started laughing softly and Harry's groan of protest, he continued on "but how about we meet up here tonight? I know you haven't eaten properly," at this Draco gave the sheepish boy before him a quick glare, "so I'll bring us something to eat." Harry nodded with another smile, pleased at the idea of spending more time with the blond.

Having received confirmation, Draco nodded back and the two stood to leave, sharing one last soft kiss before they left their separate ways with promises to see each other later after they dealt with their friends, who honestly acted more like vultures than people when it came to information.

With a sigh, Harry plastered on his practised mask, worthy of only the most regal of aristocratic Slytherins, and entered the lion's den.

The door to the Gryffindor common room opened, allowing the young boy inside. His raven hair covered hi emerald eyes, hiding his apprehension with the aid of his practised mask. Harry looked around the room for a sign of his two friends, naively hoping he could escape their notice and sneak up to bed.

Hermione clearly had different plans as her head shot up the second she heard the door to the common room, searching for a sign of her own friend who had been acting very strangely recently.

Harry sighed as he caught sight of the approaching brunette. Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him over to another couch, away from the one she had been sitting on with her boyfriend, not that the latter noticed, too engrossed in a game of wizarding chess against Dean Thomas.

"Where have you been Harry? First, you disappear all day and then you just get up and leave dinner for no reason?" Harry scowled slightly when she claimed he left for no reason but said nothing as the girl continued to reprimand him for being so careless and for not telling them where he was going.

"What so I'm supposed to tell you anytime I go anywhere?" Harry questioned angrily, "You're not my mother Hermione, in case you hadn't noticed, she's dead." Hermione gasped in horror at Harry as he said that and he pursed his lips, aware that his anger had gotten the better of him.

"I'm sorry okay? That was uncalled for, I'm just stressed and need to be left alone, it was only one day 'Mione, it's not going to kill me." Harry was relieved when Ron backed him up again, reminding himself to thank his friend later on. Hermione reluctantly agreed but rather than leaving the exhausted boy to his thoughts, decided to simply grill him on another topic.

"So are you upset with Ginny then?" She questioned. "What?" Harry asked with wide eyes, "What gave you that impression?" Hermione merely gave him an unimpressed look before sighing and changing the subject to what they did in class today, earning a groan from Ron who immediately zoned out again and returned to his chess game.

Their conversation continues for a few minutes with Harry indulgently nodding along to Hermione's rant before their interrupted by the youngest Weasley plonking herself beside Harry and leaning into his side, causing him to tense instantly.

Hermione watched the scene before her with narrowed eyes, sure that Harry had some issue with Ginny that she seemed unaware of. She shot Harry a pointed look, with a jerk of her head towards the ginger who was practically sprawled across him. Harry merely shook his head minutely, closing his eyes and taking a few calming breaths.

Hermione's hostile behaviour seemed to melt away as she properly looked at her best friend. (Finally) She looked at his pale face and sunken eyes, decorated with deep purple bags. She felt the exhaustion and weariness rolling off him in waves and the anxiety he felt in this situation. She finally looked at the boy she claimed to know so well and began to see what she had been missing this entire year.

Hermione watched as he attempted to manoeuvre the girl from off of himself, with difficulty. She saw him pause and inhale slowly and watched as his hands began to shake. Catching herself staring she quickly stood and pulled Ginny from the boy before her and watched as the tension seemed to drain from him when she pulled her away. 

Deciding to address that when her friend was of sounder mind, she pulled the protesting girl from the common room, with the excuse of needing help with 'lady problems' in the hope of the boys not questioning that. Much to her exasperation, it worked very well. She rolled her eyes. Boys. 

Before they leave, Hermione shouts towards the group that another party was being planned before they all returned home for Christmas break.

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, a certain blond had also adopted his Slytherin mask of indifference as he approached his friends. Pansy immediately began to grill him about his behaviour during dinner and his absence throughout the rest of the day.

"Pansy" Draco made sure he had eye contact with his friend before he continued. "Harry was in trouble, and was extremely upset this morning." He gave her a pointed look as he said this.

Her eyes widened and a hand came up to cover her mouth as tears danced along her waterline. Pansy was heartbroken as she read between the lines of what Draco was telling her. She nodded quickly and pulled the boy in for a hug, praising him for helping Harry.

He shrugged her off, saying he didn't do it for her praise and made sure she knew that he hadn't told her anything. Which he didn't, but, you know. 

Pansy nodded and gave him a better smiling after schooling her expression. They all sit together, talking quietly amongst themselves before Draco stands to leave. Pansy informs him of the last party before Christmas before he leaves. He nods in recognition before heading towards the astronomy tower.

When he arrived Harry wass already there and turned to greet him with a smile from his seated position. Draco returned it and sat down beside the smaller boy, taking Harry's hand in his own as if by habit, though I guess by now it could be called that.

Harry rested his head against Draco's shoulder as his eyes closed. The two chatted quietly about anything and everything, joking about the upcoming party and giggling about the potential dares they'll have to face. 

Soon enough the two fell asleep in each other's arms, Draco's body curled around the smaller boys as the slept comfortably in each other's embrace.

The peace didn't last long, as soon Harry was roused by a whimpering near his ear. He jerked awake, to find the blond he'd become so close to whining and crying out on the ground beside him. Harry did his best not to panic, aware it would not help the situation, but he wasn't really succeeding all that well. Taking a calming breath he began to shake Draco lightly, whispering gentle reassurances into the blonde's ear and pulling his quivering body into his arms.

The boy jerked suddenly, seemingly pulled abruptly from the dream he was submerged in. When his eyes came into focus and landed on the concerned face of the raven before him, he let out a heart-shattering sob and fell into Harry's comforting embrace, crying relentlessly and relishing in the comfort the other boy was providing him.

Harry stroked a hand through Draco's hair, which had grown down past his ears and remained as soft as ever now that it lacked the copious amounts of hair gel he used to abuse it with. Harry continued to hold the boy until his sobbing lessened and turned to sniffles, Draco's hands remaining twisted in his shirt as if confirming he was indeed there beside him.

When Draco was finally calm enough to pull away but Harry didn't let him get far, holding onto his hand tightly and giving him a concerned look. Draco let out a self-deprecating laugh before allowing Harry to wipe his tears away with his one free hand. 

"I'm so glad you're okay" Draco whispered to Harry, making the boy concerned because Draco was definitely not the one who should be glad Harry was ok. At Harry's confused look, Draco hesitantly described his dream.

"I-" He cleared his throat, "I had a dream that you were there with me, a-at the Manor and you g-got caught and The Dar- Vo-Voldemort," He cringed at the name but smiled at Harry's concerned but proud look, "He found you a-and he was torturing y-" He broke down again, "Oh Harry it was awful" He sobbed to the boy.

"Shh, I'm here, I'm okay and I'm not going anywhere okay? You're stuck with me I'm afraid." That got a choked laugh out of the blond and Harry counted that as a win.

"I can't go back to sleep after that Harry, I can't." Harry simply nodded and pulled Draco back into his embrace, glad to finally be the one there to offer support.

The two stayed quiet and just held each other, relishing in the calm that fell over them once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor baby :(

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter 1
> 
> Don't be afraid to leave me some feedback in the comments! :D


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